


Laid bare

by Nenchen



Category: Good Omens (TV), Good Omens - Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett
Genre: Aziraphale Loves Crowley (Good Omens), Crowley Loves Aziraphale (Good Omens), Crowley's Plants (Good Omens), Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Light Angst, Love, M/M, Napping, Non-Sexual, Nudity, POV Crowley (Good Omens), Plants, Relaxation, South Downs Cottage (Good Omens), Sunbathing, canon compliant use of frivolous miracles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-10
Updated: 2020-08-10
Packaged: 2021-03-05 19:53:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,448
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25830880
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nenchen/pseuds/Nenchen
Summary: One summer afternoon, Crowley comes home to something unexpected.
Relationships: Aziraphale/Crowley (Good Omens)
Comments: 49
Kudos: 96





	Laid bare

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This fic was very much inspired by [many ](https://penbwl.tumblr.com/post/625632170069884928/i-made-a-soft-tunes-playlist-for-the-husbands-and)[lovely ](https://penbwl.tumblr.com/post/620921988718985216/i-had-a-lil-break-earlier-and-a-peach-then-this)[art ](https://penbwl.tumblr.com/post/620389147068317696/commission-for-depressedstressedlemonzest-this)[pieces ](https://penbwl.tumblr.com/post/619197820299264001/spring-angel-okay-ngh-im-really-nervous-to)from [penbwl ](https://penbwl.tumblr.com/)on tumblr, that really inspired me. Then someone dared to say nudity is inherently sexual and dirty and BAD and the spite made me actually type this out.

It was a lovely summer afternoon. The sun was shining, heating the air to the wonderful temperature between hot summer day and suffocating. Crowley usually relished these temperatures, lounging about somewhere outside the cottage, dozing, relaxing. 

Today, however he wasn’t relaxing, but instead searching for Aziraphale. He’d just come back from a trip to London to cause some mischief and sauntered into the library, to tempt his angel away from his reading with the iced mochi he’d brought back. 

There was just one problem.

He couldn’t find Aziraphale.

Aziraphale wasn’t in the library. The library usually was the best guess in trying to find the angel in their cottage but Aziraphale did frequent other rooms too. A rare occasion as Crowley had once joked and gotten a look for, but entirely in the realm of possibility as he had to admit.

So Crowley looked into the other rooms. 

The kitchen first, where Aziraphale hadn’t been since there was no traces of any baking or snacking, so Crowley just dropped off the mochi and continued his search. 

Surely he’d find him quickly.

Next was the sitting room, where the angel would sometimes move to for a change of ambiance when reading, carrying gigantic stacks of books with him. Often all at once. Crowley wouldn’t admit it, but he loved to watch the show. And he had a hunch Aziraphale did it mostly for him.

But there was no stack of books today, and more importantly, no angel.

Since he’d taught the angel how to sleep properly, he had grown fond of late afternoon naps, so Crowley looked in their bedroom too, to be sure. 

The bed was made, just like he’d left it this morning.

He even looked into the bathroom, thinking Aziraphale might have decided to take a nice, long bath. 

Yet still, no angel to be found.

Surely there was no need to worry, Crowley told himself as his step quickened. 

It was a lovely day out after all. Aziraphale probably had gone into the garden. There were a few nooks Aziraphale loved to frequent, infrequently. 

Between the roses. 

Next to the wild bee hive.

Under the apple tree.

No angel.

How weird, was all Crowley allowed himself to think.

The angel usually would tell him if he went out, so where was he? 

He tried very hard to not let his mind fill in the blanks too quickly, but it was going at a speed that, translated to traveling in the Bentley, would have Aziraphale say many disapproving words.

As Crowley returned to the house to search again, for anything, something caught his eye. 

The door leading to his observatory was standing open just a bit. 

He went to investigate, putting his hand on the knob. And then he couldn’t seem to move it anymore. This was it. Schrödinger’s door. At this moment everything he expected to find was possible. 

He shook himself and opened the door, going in to find out. There was no sense in drawing a maybe out anyways. 

He closed the door behind him with a thud, announcing his presence to whoever was in the observatory.

“Ah, Crowley, is that you?” he heard the angel call out.

Immediately his shoulders slumped into a more relaxed slouch, his brisk walk changing to a saunter.

“Yes, angel,” Crowley replied, following the voice to its source.

The angel was stretched out on the nice wooden sun lounger Crowley had gotten for himself. Well, probably stretched out. All Crowley could see was an almost white tuft of hair peeking over the backrest. The placement made it so the sun lit it up like a halo. 

Crowley knew the sun was shining on this exact place wonderfully during most of the day, making it an excellent spot for sunbathing and afternoon naps. The highly humid air and the lush plant scenery contributed to making the place feel like resting somewhere tropical. It did wonders to soothe Crowley’s serpentine side.

Crowley himself had spent many afternoons lazing here, coming out too relaxed to even care about his frizzed hair. Which was alright, really, because the angel seemed to like it. He had extended the invitation many times, even telling Aziraphale he was free to use the place whenever he wanted. However, until now the angel had never taken him up on the offer.

“Well, well, what are you doing here? Don’t see any books.”

Unless the angel was holding one, but after knowing Aziraphale for as long as he had, Crowley knew Aziraphale didn’t enjoy things measuredly, but rather unrestricted. If he’d brought books there would have been a noticeable stack.

“Oh, I couldn’t read in here.”

Crowley moved around another plant to stand right behind his angel. Only now he saw his angel, spread out comfortably, like a shining jewel amidst the lush, dark green plants, face beautifully relaxed, eyes closed and entirely nude. 

“Finally had enough of reading, angel? Gonna join me in the wonderous world of television?” Crowley teased, leaning onto the headrest from behind him.

“Most definitely not, dear boy. There are still as many books to read as years I plan to spend with you.”

“Let me guess: Try to limit one and I’m limiting both. Clever, angel. Then what’s gotten you to give up reading time this fine afternoon?”

Aziraphale smiled and let out a great, contented sigh, moving his broad chest.

“Well, you always seemed so perfectly relaxed whenever you spent time here. So, I decided to finally see what the fuss was about.”

“And, finding it to your liking?”

“Quite, dear boy. The sun and the humidity are quite lovely on the skin, this chair is surprisingly comfortable for hardwood and the smell in here is quite relaxing. It does make one feel tranquil. I can see why this steamy serenity appeals to your serpentine side.”

Crowley hummed his confirmation, leaning further forward to gently rest his chin in the angel’s curls.

The angel took that as the invitation to continue his explanation.

“If you must know, it was the humidity. My books do need a certain level of humidity, mind, but humidity this high would ruin them. I might as well just fill up the sink and drop them in there.”

Crowley made another answering noise.

“And of course I wouldn’t want it to ruin my clothes either. Wearing clothes would quite defeat the purpose of sunbathing anyways, don’t you think, dear?” he said.

When no answer came except the weight of Crowley’s chin on his head becoming a bit heavier, Aziraphale sighed and snapped. The lounger suddenly found itself quite big enough to comfortably fit the two of them.

“How about you join me for a nap, dear? I am sure you could do so while standing, but this should be nicer, don’t you think?” He said, reaching up to gently pat Crowley’s cheek. 

Crowley, noticing the cheeky slip in, grumbled, but conceded to the point. He knew the angel knew why he was suddenly tired. They would probably have a talk about this, later. When Crowley wasn’t quite so exhausted from panicking, and not quite so sleepy from relief. And experience taught Crowley that it would be a good talk. Reassurance. Safety measures. Better communication. But right now, the idea of snuggling up to a delightfully uncovered angel sounded absolutely terrific.

“Hmm, yeah, think I’ll do that,” Crowley answered.

With a snap, his clothes were sent away into the aether and he was sidling up next to the angel and cuddling into his side. There was just something about the skin on skin contact. For any normal supernatural creature, it probably would have felt like nothing, or just plain weird. But Aziraphale and him, they’d inhabited these bodies for so long that they truly felt like them. 

The warmth was Aziraphale’s skin, warmed from the sun. The fine hairs tickling him were Aziraphale’s. The pulse he could feel when he concentrated, thrumming underneath, was Aziraphale.

And Crowley loved it. The angel was beautiful and soft and warm and perfect for snuggling into.

Another snap and a recorder was playing Crowley’s favorite dramatic reading of A midsummer night’s dream and the ice mochi found itself relocated onto a sidetable next to the angel. It was hot, but Crowley was sure it wouldn’t dare to melt and disappoint his angel. He could feel Aziraphale’s indulgent smile on his back.

“So you don’t get too bored without me and your books. Wake me in time to make dinner, angel?”

Aziraphale pulled him in closer, carding one hand into his hair and intertwining the other that Crowley was curled up against with his, squeezing briefly.

“Of course, my dear. Rest well.”

**Author's Note:**

> Come visit my tumblr at [goodduckingomens](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/goodduckingomens).  
> Comments and Kudos very much motivate me, so please leave some if you had fun! Keysmash comments appreaciated for the true Crowleys out there. Emojis, extra kudos, whatever!! Leave me a single letter, I just like to see people read my stuff! 
> 
> Please remember to go and show the artist some love!


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